From Punishment to Treatment
The “Clinical Alternative to Punitive Segregation” (Caps) Program in New York City Jails
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15499650 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarah Glowa-Kollisch (New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation), Fatos Kaba (New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation), A Star Waters (New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation), Anthony Waters (Correctional Health Services, New York City Health + Hospitals, New York, NY 11101, USA), YP Leung (New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation), Elizabeth Ford (0000-0002-2397-839X, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation), Homer Venters (New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 182-182 |
| Publication date | 2016-02-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph13020182 |
| PMID | 26848667 |
| OpenAlex | W2261835373 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 4 |
The proliferation of jails and prisons as places of institutionalization for persons with serious mental illness (SMI) has resulted in many of these patients receiving jail-based punishments, including solitary confinement. Starting in 2013, the New York City (NYC) jail system developed a new treatment unit for persons with SMI who were judged to have violated jail rules (and previously would have been punished with solitary confinement) called the Clinical Alternative to Punitive Segregation (CAPS) unit. CAPS is designed to offer a full range of therapeutic activities and interventions for these patients, including individual and group therapy, art therapy, medication counseling and community meetings. Each CAPS unit requires approximately $1.5 million more investment per year, largely in additional staff as compared to existing mental health units, and can house approximately 30 patients. Patients with less serious mental illness who received infractions were housed on units that combined solitary confinement with some clinical programming, called Restrictive Housing Units (RHU). Between 1 December 2013 and 31 March 2015, a total of 195 and 1433 patients passed through the CAPS and RHU units, respectively. A small cohort of patients experienced both CAPS and RHU (n = 90). For these patients, their rates of self-harm and injury were significantly lower while on the CAPS unit than when on the RHU units. Improvements in clinical outcomes are possible for incarcerated patients with mental illness with investment in new alternatives to solitary confinement. We have started to adapt the CAPS approach to existing mental health units as a means to promote better clinical outcomes and also help prevent jail-based infractions. The cost of these programs and the dramatic differences in length of stay for patients who earn these jail-based infractions highlight the need for alternatives to incarceration, some of which have recently been announced in NYC
Criminology · Harm · Mental health · Mental illness · Political science · Prison · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Punishment (psychology · Punitive damages · Solitary confinement · Unit (ring theory · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Social Psychology
Prison-Based Interventions for Early Adults with Mental Health Needs
Efficiency of psychological interventions in the prevention of suicidal behavior and self-injury in penitentiary population
Prior incarceration, restrictive housing, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in a community sample of persons who use drugs
Solitary Confinement of Inmates Associated With Relapse Into Any Recidivism Including Violent Crime
History of Solitary Confinement Is Associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Individuals Recently Released from Prison
Perceptions and Attitudes of Correctional Staff Toward ADHD—A Challenging Disorder in Everyday Prison Life
A systematic review of therapeutic alternatives to segregation placement
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,78 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2025 (9) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |